1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bulldozer.
2. Background Information
A bulldozer has a fuel tank rearward of the cab (see for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-247337). Below the fuel tank are arranged components such as hydraulic piping or the like. Accordingly, when for example an oil leakage occurs and it becomes necessary to repair the hydraulic piping the fuel tank must be removed.
The fuel tank is removed from the vehicle body frame by being hoisted by a crane or the like. Basically, engaging parts are installed at each end of the fuel tank in the vehicle width direction. Shackles at the lower ends of {each of two wire ropes are attached to these engaging parts. The fuel tank is removed from the vehicle body frame as the wire ropes are caught by the crane hook and the fuel tank is hoisted.
The hanging angle that is the angle formed by the two wire ropes when the fuel tank is hoisted, is set within the optimum range that enables the fuel tank to be hoisted stably. It is also suitable to have a single wire rope. In this case, the center of the wire rope is caught by the hook and the wire rope has shackles at both ends. In this case, the flexion angle of the wire rope centered on the hook is the hanging angle.
In recent years, it has become desirable to mount on a bulldozer, an exhaust gas treatment device for treating exhaust gas. Here, it is conceivable to install an exhaust gas treatment device in the engine room of the bulldozer. Because space within the engine room is limited, when installing an exhaust gas treatment device in the engine room it is necessary to install, for example an air-conditioning cooling module (such as an air conditioning condenser or the like), in a place outside of the engine room. In this case, it is conceivable that the air-conditioning cooling module be arranged so as to project rearward from the upper end portion of the rear face of the cab.
As described above, there are cases in which an air-conditioning cooling module is arranged so as to project rearward from the rear face upper end portion of the cab. With this kind of air-conditioning cooling module however, when hoisting the fuel tank, if the wire rope is not lengthened, reducing the hanging angle of the wire rope below the optimum range, interference occurs between the wire rope and the air-conditioning cooling module.
An object of the present invention is that while maintaining the hanging angle of a wire rope or the like for hoisting a fuel tank within the optimum range, interference between the air-conditioning cooling module projecting rearward from the cab and the wire rope or the like, is avoided.
(1) A bulldozer according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a cab, a fuel tank, a first engaging member and a second engaging member. The cab has a driver's seat installed therein, and an air-conditioning cooling module projecting rearward from the upper end portion of the cab. The fuel tank is arranged to the rear of the cab. The first engaging member and the second engaging member, each having an engaging part capable of engaging onto a suspension member, are provided on the fuel tank. The engaging part of the first engaging member is, in the rear view, positioned on a first lateral side in the vehicle width direction of a first straight line connecting the first lateral side end at the upper end of the air-conditioning cooling module and the first lateral side end at the upper end of the fuel tank. The engaging part of the second engaging member, is, in the rear view, positioned on a second lateral side in the vehicle width direction of a second straight line connecting the second lateral side end at the upper end of the air-conditioning cooling module and the second lateral side end at the upper end of the fuel tank.
When hoisting the fuel tank in the above described bulldozer, the suspension member (for example a shackle or the like) at each lower end of one or two wire ropes hanging from for example, the hook of a crane, is caused to engage the engaging parts of the first and the second engaging members. Here, in the rear view, the engaging part of the first engaging member is positioned on the first lateral side of the first straight line, and the engaging part of the second engaging member is positioned on the second lateral side of the second straight line. For this reason, when hoisting the fuel tank, with the angle at which the wire rope hangs (the hanging angle of the wire rope) being maintained within the optimum range, the distance between wire ropes at a predetermined height (especially at the upper end of the cab) can be increased. Resultantly, interference between the wire rope and the air-conditioning cooling module projecting to the rear from the upper end part of the rear face of the cab can be prevented. Further, as the hanging angle of the wire rope can be maintained within the optimum range, the fuel tank can be stably hoisted.
(2) It is preferable that the center of the fuel tank in the vehicle width direction is positioned on the first lateral side in comparison to the center of the cab in the vehicle width direction, and that the engaging part of the second engaging member is, in the rear view, positioned on the second lateral side of the fuel tank.
According to this configuration, as the fuel tank is arranged biased toward the first lateral side, accommodating space can be provided to the second lateral side of the fuel tank. For this reason, a battery for example, can be accommodated in this space. Further, by positioning the fuel tank biased toward the first lateral side, the second lateral side end of the fuel tank is biased toward the center in the vehicle width direction. For this reason, when hoisting the fuel tank, a wire rope extending from the second lateral side end portion of the fuel tank could readily interfere with the air-conditioning cooling module. However, according to the above described configuration, as the engaging part of the second engaging member is, in the rear view, positioned to the second lateral side, the wire rope extending from the engaging part is shifted toward the second lateral side, enabling interference with the air-conditioning cooling module to be prevented.
(3) It is preferable that the first and second engaging members be of planar form, each member having respectively, a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion is secured to the fuel tank, and the second end portion has the engaging part. In this configuration, the engaging part can be positioned more to the outside enabling interference between the air-conditioning cooling module and the wire rope to be prevented.
(4) It is preferable for the fuel tank, in the backward direction of the vehicle, to be tilted diagonally downward, and for the first and second engaging members to be positioned forward of center in the forward-backward direction of the fuel tank.
In this configuration, as the fuel tank is tilted diagonally downward, a favorable field of vision from the cab in the rearward direction can be realized. Note that the fuel tank, being of the form as described above, the gravitational center thereof is positioned forward of center in the forward-backward direction. In relation to this, as the first and second engaging members are disposed forward in the same manner, the fuel tank comes to be hoisted above the position of the gravitational center in the forward-backward direction. This enables the fuel tank to be stably hoisted. Further, although the engaging parts of the first and second engaging members being so positioned forward means interference between the wire rope and the air-conditioning cooling module projecting rearward from the cab becomes easier, interference can be prevented because, as described above, the distance between each wire rope at a predetermined height is increased.
(5) It is preferable that the first and second engaging members are detachably installed on the fuel tank. As the first and second engaging members project outward from the fuel tank there is concern that when the bulldozer is being used, these may impede the work or obstruct the field of vision. In response to this, installing the first and second engaging members on the fuel tank such that these members can be detached enables these members to be detached from the fuel tank when not needed thereby enabling the above described problems to be solved.
According to the present invention, {a bulldozer is provided in which} the angle at which a wire rope or the like hangs in order to hoist up a fuel tank being maintained within the optimum range, interference between an air conditioning cooling module projecting rearward from the cab and the wire rope or the like can be avoided.